


It's Not Time To Reunite Yet

by mutigerritter



Series: Dimiclaude Week 2020 [6]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, During Timeskip (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Feral Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:22:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22174747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mutigerritter/pseuds/mutigerritter
Summary: Byleth has been missing for four years. Claude discovers that Dimitri has escaped execution and is hiding as a fugitive and vigilante in Garreg Mach Monastery. He decides to help Dimitri out in secret.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan
Series: Dimiclaude Week 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1590601
Comments: 4
Kudos: 74





	It's Not Time To Reunite Yet

**Author's Note:**

> And here's my late fic for #DimiclaudeWeek2020 Day 6! This makes a reference to the fic I wrote for Day 1, A Fhirdiad Visit.
> 
> I tried holding off on fluff for once and tried for something a bit more sad and angsty this time.
> 
> Prompts: Reunion/Secret

“Claude, I’m not sure about this,” Hilda says, a tone of concern in her voice, “Your little excursions to the monastery will put you in danger.”

“Teach has been gone for four years. Someone needs to help him, Hilda,” is Claude’s only reply, getting ready to depart on his wyvern.

Ever since Claude found out that Dimitri was branded a traitor and sentenced to death, he started looking deeper into matters in the Kingdom. He knows Dimitri won’t be going down that easily, and he proved himself right when he discovered that Dimitri had escaped execution and is hiding in Garreg Mach Monastery as a fugitive and vigilante. He’s been helping Dimitri in secret ever since, knowing that he alone won’t be able to get Dimitri back to his senses.

“He needs all the help he can get. But until teach comes back, this is the best we can do,” he says, not hiding the sadness in his voice. He steadies himself on his mount, and starts flying to the direction of the monastery.

Claude has been going on these little expeditions once every few weeks. He would just make sure that Dimitri was safe. At times, he would dwindle down bandits’ numbers before Dimitri faced them. Occasionally, he’d set traps for imperial troops so they wouldn’t reach Dimitri’s hiding place. Other times, he would lure animals into Dimitri’s location, so that he would have something to eat.

He was confident that he could keep Dimitri safe. The crown prince of Faerghus was no pushover, but sooner or later, he might find himself overwhelmed by biting more than he can chew.

Claude left his wyvern near the usual hiding place at the foot of the mountain and began his stealthy trek to Garreg Mach. As a student, he would sneak out and map every nook and cranny of the road and beyond until he knows all the shortcuts and hiding spots.

After about two hours of scouting the area, he had determined Dimitri’s current position, as well as found the hiding spot of the bandits. Dimitri will be engaging them in a few minutes, and while Claude had prepared some poison to sneak into the bandits’ provisions, he didn’t have the time to execute his scheme. It’s time to switch plans.

From a hidden vantage point, he shoots one of the bandits, aiming for the neck. But he doesn’t have time to see if his shot hits. He needs to switch positions and constantly be on the move so his location won’t be easily traced.

He does this three more times, sending the bandits into a panic.

The fifth time he’s about to do it, he spots a familiar tall blond-haired man walk into the clearing, his spear in hand.

His work here is done. He watches as Dimitri massacres the bandits one by one. He doesn’t like that Dimitri’s doing this, but hey, it keeps the bandits off the nearby villages. Besides, if Dimitri is busy executing bandits here, he wouldn’t be recklessly charging head on towards Enbarr. For now, this is the best plan while they wait for Byleth to return.

“Claude.” Claude was about to slip out and make his escape when Dimitri calls out to him. The exiled king’s voice was cold and tired, and, Claude’s not sure, but it seems there’s something else in his voice. Loneliness? Longing? Hopelessness?

Claude sighs before leaving his hiding spot and revealing himself to Dimitri.

“Well, guess the secret’s out. Hey, your kingliness,” Claude says, trying to put on his usual mask of a cheerful smile.

Dimitri just looks at him, and then looks away. “You’ve been secretly helping me,” he states flatly.

“Well,” Claude scratches his head, “I didn’t think you’d figure it out so fast, but I guess the arrows sticking out of these bad guy are a pretty big clue, huh?” He laughs, trying to coax Dimitri to do the same.

Dimitri simply turns his back and starts walking back to the monastery. “Go away.”

Claude feels a pang of sadness in his heart witnessing Dimitri like this. He was not expecting their reunion to go like this. He might as well take this opportunity to talk some sense into his old friend, so he runs up to him, Byleth or no Byleth.

“Dima,” Claude implores, hoping his use of the nickname has some impact, “Let me help you, please. You need help, come back with me to the Alliance and—”

“No,” Dimitri says forcefully, cutting him off. “I am nothing but a walking corpse. Dimitri…the man you once loved...is dead.”

Claude had known Dimitri was broken and in despair, but it still breaks his heart to see him like this. He does miss the young prince, whose face turned bright pink when he took his hand to dance at the ball, who he escaped to the Goddess Tower with to confess each other’s feelings. The strong, gentle, and kind Dimitri that he had once loved—that he still loves. And he knows, though battered and broken, that his beloved is still in there somewhere.

Claude runs in front of Dimitri to look him in the eye. “Dimitri. Do you trust me?” he asks, the same question he asked Dimitri when he pulled him to run to the Goddess Tower with him.

Dimitri looks away and walks past Claude. “Leave,” he says, a finality in his voice.

“Alright, if that’s really what you want. But I’ll be back for you. Teach and the others, too. We’ll all be back and reunite with you,” Claude inhales, a bit disheartened at how things played out, but he composes himself and declares, “I still love you.”

Dimitri stops walking, and for a moment Claude hopes he got to him. But Dimitri resumes walking again soon after, without turning to Claude or uttering a word.

“I’m not going to give up on you,” he calls out to Dimitri one last time, sad but determined. He then turns back, leaves the monastery, and flies on his wyvern back to Derdriu.

**Author's Note:**

> Writing Angst with no redeeming Fluff is hard. How do people do this? I need to practice more haha.


End file.
